“This….”
Even so, the Black Dragon King, who was caught in the crosshairs of a deteriorating situation, was furious. Just as he was about to cause a scene, the Thousand Face Scholar entered with a calm voice.
“The head falls…”
He grinned.
“You’re saying that the Hegemony Lord is going to cut our heads?”
Jang Ilso responded with a smile.
“You’re saying such scary things. Is that even possible?”
The gentle eyes of the Thousand Face Scholar turned to Jang Ilso.
“Then, who is going to cut our throats?”
“You’re probably not asking because you don’t know. If you’re here without understanding that, there’s no reason for me to talk to you.”“Hahaha….”
Although the laughter continued, killing intent spread from the Thousand Face Scholar’s eyes.
His face, which was nice and pleasant, was actually the scariest and most cruel of the Five Clan leaders. Due to his nature of handling information, he didn’t consider torturing and killing people to be sins.
“You’re being ridiculous, Hegemony Lord.”
“Hmm.”
Jang Ilso silently poured another drink into his glass.
The moment the Thousand Face Scholar’s eyes narrowed at the act, which could be felt as disregard, Jang Ilso opened his mouth.
“First, the Yangtze River 18 Families.”
“….”
“Maybe the… Black Ghost Fort next.”
The Desolate Gold Elder’s eyes twitched next.
It wasn’t common for him, who was always emotionless, to show such emotion. That brief movement indicated how uncomfortable he felt.
“After that, the Ten Thousand People Clan. And the last would be the Lower District Sect.”
“…”
“They will be hunted one after another, and everyone will lose their heads. Or one can give up everything and become a prisoner.”
Thud!
The Black Dragon King struck the table.
“Who would dare do that?”
“The Nine Great Sects One Union.”
In response to the answer, which came out without hesitation, the Black Dragon King closed his mouth as if at a loss for words.
“…”
“And… maybe even the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”
Crack.
The Black Dragon King, whose face was contorted like an evil beast, glared at Jang Ilso and said,
“Let us say that is the case with the Nine Great Sects. But does that mean we need to discuss such nonsense?”
“Such nonsense?”
Jang Ilso smiled and looked straight at the Black Dragon King.
“Is there anyone who guarantees that any of these can take on the Heavenly Friends Alliance alone?”
“…”
“Mount Hua, the Sichuan Tang family, Nanman Beast Palace, and the North Sea Ice Palace… Moreover, who could deal with the Heavenly Friends Alliance, which the Green Forest has joined? The Yangtze River 18 families?” Ṟ𝒶ℕΟ𐌱ЁȘ
“You…”
“Times have changed, Black Dragon King. The names of the Yangtze River 18 Families cause no fear in the world.”
“Hmm.”
The Desolate Gold Elder shook his head.
“It’s definitely impossible to handle the Heavenly Friends Alliance alone. However, it is an ideal theory that the Alliance can gather such strength. First, they are very far from one another and are loosely connected. It doesn’t happen that all of the Alliance’s strength is concentrated at once.”
“You are right. But…”
The corners of Jang Ilso’s mouth rose.
“The mere existence of the Heavenly Friends Alliance is a problem.”
“…”
“As you may know, if it wasn’t for the Heavenly Friends Alliance, Shaolin and Wudang would have never moved.”
The Desolate Gold Elder shook his head, unable to deny it.
“Right. There is nothing to be gained.”
Subjugating the Yangtze River was definitely something that would bring fame and favor to them.
Places like Shaolin, Wudang, and the Namgung family didn’t need more fame than they already had. Such recognition only mattered to those who hadn’t yet achieved it. There was no reason for them to seek new fame and favor from the public, as their reputations were already exceedingly high.
“But if they have the Heavenly Friends Alliance in there, things are different.”
It was as if a substitute had been created.
Without the Heavenly Friends Alliance, no matter how dirty and unpleasant things got, everyone ultimately had no choice but to cling to the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families. They were the only ones capable of handling the Evil Faction and stopping them.
But now, there was no need to be obsessed with them anymore. The Heavenly Friends Alliance had already demonstrated sufficient strength and proactivity.
“Murim always repeats the same cycle. When two strong factions compete for power, direct war doesn’t happen. For example, Wudang and Shaolin have never fought to the point of killing each other. Instead….”
Jang Ilso revealed it.
“They look for a game.”
“…”
“There are two ways to show that they are the stronger tiger. One is to fight and win, and the second is… to prove it by biting and killing more wolves.”
“… and we are the wolves.”
“Yes.”
Jang Ilso pushed the empty drinking glasses one by one.
“First, the Yangtze River pirates.”
Jang Ilso’s index finger gently pressed down on the glass in front of him.
Jang!
The glass cracked, making a noise like a sharp scream.
“Next?”
“….”
“There is no point in betting on whose head will be cut off first. If one is going to bet, something else is more fun to bet on. Which sect will take my head? Is it Wudang, Shaolin, Mount Hua, or the Tang family? Hehehe.”
Jang Ilso chuckled and slowly looked at them.
“I will bet on Shaolin. Yours?”
“…”
No one could bear to open their mouths at that.
This was because they knew that Jang Ilso wasn’t bluffing.
Not only the Black Dragon King, who was directly under attack but also those who were watching the entire process felt an extreme sense of crisis.
“So?”
The Desolate Gold Elder cut him off.
“Get rid of useless emotions. Because it is a waste of time. What can we do?”
“Join forces.”
“With this trash?”
The faces of the Black Dragon King and the Thousand Face Scholar became distorted when hearing the word “trash.”
“You better keep your mouth shut, elder. Unless you want to end up dead with your tongue cut out.”
“Or it would be better to cut off his limbs and make him dog food.”
Bloody voices filled with killing intent echoed, but the elder spoke without blinking.
“Anyone can think of a union. But no one can enforce it. There is no way we trust each other.”
“… that is right.”
“Just seeing your face makes my stomach turn.”
The Evil Faction hated the Justice Faction.
But more than that, they hated the Evil Faction too. This was because the people who fought, bit and raised swords much more than the Justice Faction were others from the same faction.
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take this chance to rip off all the heads and eat them.”
“That is a good opinion.”
The killing intent of the three people filled the room. It was a grueling intent that would not just cause trouble for normal people but even warriors.
At that moment.
“Hahahahahaha!”
Jang Ilso burst into laughter as the pavilion’s heavy atmosphere lifted.
“Ahahahahaah!”
The three people’s fierceness disappeared in an instant as he hit the table and shed tears laughing. Everyone’s eyes moved to Jang Ilso.
“… what is so funny to you?”
When the question came up, Jang Ilso raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
“Ah… ah. I am sorry. Ugh… it is too funny to hold back.”
“What is so funny?”
“Wouldn’t it be weird if it wasn’t funny?”
Jang Ilso said with a smile still on his face.
“How can I not laugh at the bug-like beings who growl and fight with one another, not even realizing the mess they have stepped into? Such pathetic ones are the leaders of the Shenzhou Five clans? Hahaha!”
“…what did you say just now?”
Jang Ilso’s red lips twisted.
“Why? Did I say something wrong?”
“…”
“Even animals, when their lives are in danger, unite regardless of their natural enemies. But do people bring personal grudges into matters where their lives are at stake?”
“…”
Even the tone of voice he held till then had vanished, and Jang Ilso bared his white teeth.
“Resentment, hatred, and all the trivial emotions they enjoy exist because of that neck attached to the body. Once you die, the grudges have no meaning. The most important thing for humans isn’t resentment, respect, or use.”
No one could refute those words and just continued to look at him.
“Survival.”
“…”
“There is life to live. Nothing means anything if you don’t survive. I will do anything to live, even if it means rolling in shit, even if it means licking the feet of the enemy!”
These weren’t words that should come out of the mouth of someone with a high status as a clan leader of the Five Clans.
But maybe that was why his sincerity was greatly felt.
“Compared to that, protecting the back of someone who was pointing a knife at you until yesterday is nothing special.”
Jang Ilso, who poured the drink from a new bottle, looked at everyone with a strange smile and softly asked,
“Am I wrong?”
“Hmm.”
A groaning sound escaped from the mouths of the Black Dragon King and the Thousand Face Scholar.
They definitely hated the people in front of them more than the Justice Faction. It was no exaggeration to say that their history was a history of killing each other.
But no matter what, they were the Evil Faction. They could not join hands with the Justice Faction. The only way to match the Justice Faction was to move in earnest with one another.
“For now…”
The Desolate Gold Elder opened his mouth.
“If this is something that only ends temporarily, isn’t it all just meaningless discussion? It will end with damage to the pirates.”
“It wouldn’t be that simple.”
Jang Ilso spoke clearly.
“If the Heavenly Friends Alliance doesn’t stop, the Nine Great Sects won’t stop either. They might be stronger, but the initiative is already in the hands of the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”
“…”
“And Mount Hua is the head of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, which won’t stop. They are greedy. As much as me.”
Jang Ilso’s smile grew bigger. There was a glimpse of madness in his eyes.
“One way or another, they will push to the south of the Yangtze River. And we cannot just sit and relax until then, right?”
“For the sake of our pride?”
“That is true. But precisely, it might be because we cannot stand by and watch as the Heavenly Friends Alliance gradually absorbs the land south of the Yangtze into their own.”
The Desolate Gold Elder nodded as if he was thinking.
“We have to unite to fight against such forces, the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.”
“Right. If not, you have to choose one of the two.”
Jang Ilso, who suddenly lost his smile, spoke quietly as if growling.
“Either live like a dog or die like a wolf.”
“…”
“…”
“But what I want is to live as a wolf. The reason I can treat others as prey is when I am confident that I can hunt them down without taking damage. If one is prepared to get their arms and organs ripped out as a reward for hunting, then one shouldn’t dare call it hunting.”
Jang Ilso said, holding his face with one hand.
“Just attach any grandiose word you want.”
The sight of his eyes shining between his fingers was terrifying.
“No matter what the cause, the goal is survival. Surviving. If one misses the right time, even if they come together, they get bitten. I will definitely live. I will survive and enjoy everything I gain without missing a single thing.”
The Thousand-Faced Scholar, who had been listening quietly, put one hand on his forehead and laughed.
“So upfront and low quality that I cannot say anything about it.”
“…”
“But…”
His eyes shone blue.
“There is nothing wrong with it. I am not a person who is anxious to die, either. If that is the only way to live, then that is what we should do. I will agree with the Hegemony Lord.”
Jang Ilso gently smiled.
“From this moment on, there are no Shenzhou Clans.”
The loud declaration came.
“What remains are just four clans, and the union, where the Shenzhou vanishes, only the Four Precepts Alliance remains!”
A name that would take the world by storm.
This was the moment when the existence of the Four Precepts Alliance first came from Jang Ilso’s mouth.
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